The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1887-06-04
STRUCK BY A WHALE.
An Interesting Talo Related BY the Mat,
OF New Bedford Craft.

STRUCK BY A WHALE.
An Interesting Tslo Related by the Mats
Of . New Bedford Graft.
It was on the I'd day of April, 1858,
and the hour was two o'clock in the
afternoon, when the man on the look
out sighted a whale. Observations
taken at high noon of that day showed
us to be due north of Juan Fernandez
$50 miles. Our ship was the Home
ward, of New Bedford, Captain Sam
uel Clayton, master, and we had been
out fourteen months and were in good
luck. The whale sighted on this after
noon was the first spout seen for three
days. He broke water within half .
mile of the ship, remained on the sur
face for three or four minutes, and
then went down again amidst great
smother of foam. As he went down
he ..lobtailed'' for a moment, and by
this sign we knew that other whales
were in the vicinity. Lobtailing" is
when the big fish slaps the water right
and left with his flukes or tail, and
whalers have always contended that it
is signal to other whales to look out
for danger. The echo of his blows
came down to us from windward very
distinctly as we piled into the boats
and lowered away. There were three
boats of us, and mine not only got
away first but continued to lead, al
thong 1 could hear the captain, who
was few yards behind me, calling to
his men:
eff you love me pull-break them
oars-twist the bottom out-pul your
selves overheard
When we had pulled mile to wind
ward of the ship we rested on our oars
to wait for the whale to come up again,
and the boats spead out over consider
able water to watch. Whales always
feed or run to windward. It is but
rare that one will run away from the
wind in any emergency. We had gone
half mile beyond his sounding, and
might look for him to come up any
where in our neighborhood. He did
come, after time, leaping two-thirds of
hislength out of water and there was
cry of establishment from every boat. /
was in the whaling business for nine
teen years, and Pm telling you that
was the biggest'one ever set eyes on.
He was full one hundred feet long,
and covered with barnacles. seaweed
and slime, and it was plain enough that
we had discovered an old resident of
the deep. He had hardly fallen back
into the water when the three boats
started for him. There would have
been harpoon into him if he had
taken time to dive or sound, but he
played us trick. In some way which
naturalists have never been able to ac-
count for, whale can sink himself
like a ton of ballast. This fellow just
went right out of sight in five seconds,
leaving scarce ripple on the surface
to prove that he had been in view.
Some of the boats ran over the spot
before their Roadway was checked.
Well, it was spread out and wait
again, but in ten minutes he came up
between us and the ship, equidistant.
His head was hardly out of water
when we saw that he was in rage.
He began rolling and thrashing and
slapping the water, and the boats had
scarcely started for him when he
started for the ship. There was a
groan of despair from every boat, for
we knew by the way he held his head
and the slap of his fukes that he meant
| mischief. We pulled for our lives,
hoping to overtake him, but the near
est boat was quarter of a mile be-
hind him when he struck the Home
ward at full tilt. We saw her heel
over as if she would go on her beam
ends, and plainly heard the frightened
cries of the men aboard. The whale
backed off after the blow, seeming
bent on striking another, but changed
his mind after moment and sunk out
of sight to be seen no more.
The ship had received blow which
started the butts of a dozen planks,
and she was filing with water as we
reached her. We had less than twenty
| minutes in which to provision the
boats before she sank out of sight and
we were alone on the ocean. She went
| down so easily, and the sea was so
calm, that scarcely relic of her came
| to the surface. Nothing like a sail was
| in sight, and under the captains or
ders we bore away for the island l
have mentioned. We should doubtless
have made it safely enough, the
| weather being fine, but just at dark
| were picked up by all English bark and
/ carried into Valparaiso.-Detroit Free
Press.